


Bound Vesperia

by Valentine20xx



Series: Tales Of Bondage: Definitive Edition [1]
Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Ristelle - Freeform, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-23 21:45:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20233615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valentine20xx/pseuds/Valentine20xx
Summary: When Estelle chooses to help Rita instead of heading for Dahngrest, she ends up finding herself getting into all kinds of adventures, and all kinds of outfits.What will end up happening to her? Will she want it to stop?





	Bound Vesperia

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Tales Of Vesperia © Tales Studio/Namco Bandai Games, and is used without permission.
> 
> This will contain a more than healthy amount of Ristelle, and some very compromising situations for the two of them as Estelle deals with Rita’s changing feelings for her, and her own changing desires. This story relies on a slightly different conclusion to Heliord, and the domino effect that causes… As well as an assumption about what Rita kept there.

Rita groaned. She knew what she’d done, and that it was immensely stupid, as she opened her eyes, pain darting through her barely recovered body. She’d been sure she’d be added to the list of researchers who got killed in the line of duty, but here she was, alive, but hurting like hell.

She looked puzzled, until she saw Estelle asleep at the end of the bed, head pillowed on her arms. Oh, why did it have to be Estelle there? And looking so endearing?

She didn’t want to disturb such an adorable sight. She raised her hand to do so, noticing the bandages covering her body. It seemed, even with Estelle’s skill with healing artes, she still needed patching up.

Leaving that, She almost wished she had her sketchbook and less pain when she moved. Unfortunately, Her movements awoke Estelle who rubbed her eye as she straightened, in an almost pawing motion.

“Rita...?” she mumbled. Oh yes, Morning Estelle was best Estelle. A bit of encouragement, and she could potentially turn that motion into pawing at her eyes cutely. Add a paw-shaped glove as well…

Damn, she got distracted thinking of Estelle as an adorable catgirl!

“Um... morning Estelle...?” she said with a smile. “Did you...sleep well?”

“Better than you.” she said with a frown, standing up as she wagged her finger at her, snapping, “You were stupid. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! You would have been dead if it hadn't been for my healing artes!”

“Easy Estelle!” Rita said, “I’m fine see? Just a little beaten up...”

“A little is not what I call almost blowing yourself up trying to stop the blastia from overloading,” Estelle stated, sighing.

“I’m alive, aren’t I? I remember another researcher was in much worse shape, They had to have a friend invent an arm...” Rita began, pausing before rubbing the back of her head with her good hand, “It’s not helping, is it?”

“No, It’s not! I had to use revival artes to save you!” Estelle sighed, letting her know _ how _ close she’d come, “I’m worried about you, Rita! You’re always getting like this when Blastia are involved, you completely ignore your own safety!”

“It’s not like I’m trying to get myself hurt...” Rita replied, “I just can’t stand it when Blastia are suffering like that!”

“What about us? Your friends? We’re suffering as well!” Estelle snapped. Rita didn’t have an easy response for that. She was hurting Estelle by her single-minded devotion to caring about blastia.

If she had to choose between blastia and Estelle right now, she’d probably find herself not choosing blastia. Especially if she was wearing something very overtly cat-themed...

In that case, she’d leave the blastia every time, and she knew it. She had something here that was more important than any blastia.

“Estelle...” she began, looking away so Estelle wouldn’t see the blush that was forming. A sudden and familiar screech drew her from the awkward conversation however, as, outside the window, hovering above the balcony was a familiar armor clad figure astride a large dragon.

Thank God for miracles. She didn’t want to deal with voicing her opinions on choosing between Estelle and Blastia…

“It’s that Dragon Freak!... Oww!” Rita declared, Estelle guiding her back down to the bed as she was reminded that she was still injured. However, the discussion about her feelings about Estelle had ended.

“No, you’re not going to attack them, you’re still far too sore…” Estelle cooed, “Now, just let the troops garrisoned here deal with them, and maybe you’ll be able to move soon…”

The rider seemed content to hover for now, staring at Estelle for a long moment while she tried to calm down Rita before finally just... flying away.

“What was that about?! Oooh! Next time I’m going to cook that bastard! Why did you stop me, Estelle- Estelle?” she said, looking towards her and seeing the look on her face, one of confusion, “What’s wrong?”

“Hm? Oh nothing... It’s just... I felt like they were looking at me.” Estelle said, before shaking her head, before raising her arm with the blastia on it, “It’s nothing. You still need to rest.”

“OK, We need to talk, since no-one else is here. I noticed early on it doesn’t glow when you use magic, and it’s not a blastia that would work with healing artes,” Rita declared, before adding, keeping her emotions in check, “It’s much more useful as a pretty piece of costume jewellery...”

Rita cut herself off before she betrayed her feelings, the words ‘almost as pretty as you’ unvoiced. She knew what she felt for Estelle. Fondness that could be risky for their relationship if she pushed it too fast. Collecting herself, she chose her words carefully.

“Your look wouldn’t be right without it. Maybe if you got a cosmetic item for the other wrist that looks similar, that would suit you even better… I do fashion titles in my spare time…” She continued.

“Costume titles?” Estelle asked.

“They’re not like normal titles, since they are effectively a whole outfit encoded into a blastia formula… It’s something a few researchers do in their spare time, for a few gil,” Rita stated. She already had a thought of mirroring the blastia on her opposite arm...

“Really? I’ve never heard of that.” Estelle said, “Is that a new technique from Aspio?”

“Not really…” Rita stated, “It’s just that likely you’ve never asked about things like that… Hell, did you know the Wonder Chef existed before we got those recipes from him?”

“Umm… Well, True...” She replied, before she looked at her with a smile, “If you think it would look nice, I suppose I don’t mind...”

“I’d probably make a blastia especially for your other wrist, which would have the formulae encoded into it...” Rita mused, acting like she’d only just had the idea, “I don’t have any designs here, and you can’t make an outfit out of pure aer. I’ll work on the designs while I rest here, all I need is a pad of paper and I can figure out the rest...”

“Alright, I’ll bring you some later. But for now I want you to promise me you’ll rest.” she said, Rita nodding. Rita didn’t want to mention she had a few formulae already encoded into titles. Mainly since the Titles, and their descriptions, would clue even someone as naive as Estelle into what they were.

The next few days passed in relative quiet for the two of them, the rest of their group dealing with their own tasks in the area of Heilord, content to leave the two of them to their own devices as they waited for Rita to fully recover.

Estelle no longer wore the blastia on her wrist, the mounting now lying on Rita’s bedside table, while Rita sketched out ideas and figured out the formulae to encode. The blastia had indeed no formulae on it, it was purely cosmetic.

“So after your work in Keiv Moc, will you return to Aspio?” she asked Rita as she sat at her bedside. Yuri and the others had left the day before, which was making Estelle consider making her own way back to the capital, Rita nodding.

“Of course, I have to make my report on the aerflow after all.” she told her as Estelle removed the bandages from her arms, “There see? Good as new,”

“You’re still not out of the woods yet Rita.” Estelle said, “You only just healed and now you want to go to Keiv Moc? I’m not leaving you until I know you’re not going to get yourself hurt worse!”

“I’ll be fine. Besides you have to head back to the Capital right? It’s not like you can just walk away from that obligation,” Rita stated. Estelle looked thoughtful.

“But I can’t have you doing something that will just injure you again...” Estelle stated, “And we can’t go back to the Capital together...”

“The edict...” Rita said, sighing, “So, I guess that you’ll be going back to the Capital, and I’ll...”

“No!” Estelle snapped, “Until you’re back to full strength, I’m coming with you, Whatever you’re doing!”

“Wait what?! Estelle! You can’t just- I mean, you know you have to go back.” she protested.

“Until I know you’re better, I’m not leaving your side!” Estelle declared, crossing her arms as she added, “And you can’t argue. Nurse’s orders…”

Rita looked at a sketch of a nurse’s uniform, and imagined Estelle in it, managing to stop her blush, partially since it had ears and a tail, and partially since the material wasn’t cloth. “Besides what about Yuri?” she tried, only for Estelle to shake her head.

“He wasn’t why I came out this far, and you know it, He’s already left for Dahngrest to follow up the latest lead on your impostor,” Estelle sighed, before stating, “We don’t need to follow him around anymore. He’s on his mission, Flynn’s on his, and now I’m on mine. To protect my friend Rita from hurting herself badly like that again...”

Oh, she had a really good point. She was here to meet with Flynn, to discuss things like Zagi with him. She’d done that. Her quest was finished. Meanwhile, Yuri’s quest to find the fake Mordio, even if she was sorely tempted to find the bastard herself, was Yuri’s job, not either her or Estelle.

Estelle right now had two options… To go back home, or to go off on an adventure with her. And with those choices, it was easy to decide.

“Argh! Fine! If you insist, I suppose you can accompany me!” she said, crossing her arms and looking away, acting like she was conflicted on it, “But you’ll need a better disguise,”

“And I hope you’ve designed a good one,” Estelle stated, “We’re potentially going to be together for a long time…”

Rita hid her wince. She had to use that turn of phrase totally innocently. She was thinking a completely different thing.

“I might have one or two that will work.” she admitted, picking up the discarded blastia, “This is not going to be my best work, but with how little you actually use this… Now, I need you to go get a spare imperial uniform...”

The following morning, Cumore sat in his spacious office, the perks of being assigned as magistrate of Heliord. But that didn’t matter right now. What mattered was the lack of Princess Estellise in her room.

“What do you mean ‘She’s left’?!?” He snapped, “She stayed behind to care for that researcher! She didn’t have any reason to leave!”

“Er... yes sir. It seems the researcher left earlier this morning...” the soldier reported, wilting under the gaze of the effeminate noble.

“And the princess?!” He snapped, “She must remain under Imperial Knight protection at all times!”

“W-We have no idea sir! The researcher left with her guard to head to the forest and the next thing we know-” The soldier offered, cringing as Cumore glared at him.

“You idiot! Why would she have a guard!?” Cumore roared, “That guard was the princess in disguise!”

“I thought they looked rather too slim…” The soldier offered, “We’ll send a patrol to Dahngrest. She’s likely going to meet with Flynn or the rest of her group…”

“You do so. If she’s not found, Alexei will likely have both our heads!” the soldier hastily saluted, running out of the room. Once he’d left, Cumore let out a sigh.

“Commoners! They’re all the same! Utterly useless without proper guidance. That’s why we nobles exist. To give meaning to their miserable lives,” He sighed, planning how he’d make his report. It was unlikely to involve him being to blame for anything.

In one of the Traveller’s Guild caravans, Estelle unequipped the crudely applied Title, Rita letting the formulae unravel.

“Eurgh, Please, when we return to Aspio, do not let anyone know I did such a poor formula,” Rita sighed, “I didn’t like having to do that to a blastia...”

“It did its job,” Estelle agreed, “I didn’t need to look that close to a guard’s appearance, since we left under poor light… So, now I guess you want to head for Keiv Moc...”

Estelle didn’t know why, but she found herself blushing at Rita holding her hand as she checked for ‘damage’ to the blastia. “I have to meet my obligations to the Empire…” Rita mused, “But...”

“No, you’re not chasing dragons!” Estelle declared, waggling her finger at her.

“Nothing like that… First things first, we need to get a permanent Title for you to wear, and that requires materials to craft… I do have some materials in Aspio, but that’s miles away…” Rita mused, “We can’t use Heliord, that would defeat the purpose of leaving…”

“What about Caer Bocram?” Estelle asked. “There are plenty of still usable materials and it’s not like they would suspect us hiding out in somewhere that’s practically ruined already...”

Rita looked thoughtful. Staying in Caer Bocram would keep her away from Dahngrest, and she’d find a good reason to take the long way to Kiev Moc. And she was right. Hanging out in that accursed place would keep the Empire from finding them...

“OK, We go to Caer Bocram, then Keiv Moc. But, long term, we need someone who can pilot a ship…” Rita stated, “Unless you plan to retire here…”

“I’m certain with Ragou arrested, a new Magistrate will be put in charge of Capua Nor. We should be able to get a boat in Capua Torim.” Estelle offered, “We can charter something...”

“Risky, Risky…” Rita mused, “Let’s cross that bridge when we need to. Both of us know we need to get off this continent quickly, and without raising too much suspicion…”

She then tapped out a formula on Estelle’s Blastia, which dressed her in the robes of a scholar from Aspio, before donning her own version of the same Title.

“Just don’t pull down the hood, NO-ONE will look twice…” Rita offered, “We’ll need different clothes to stay in Caer Bocram, but this will get us past the patrols...”

“What do you mean ‘They’re not in Dahngrest’?” Cumore snapped at the communications blastia, “And what’s all that noise?!?”

“Monsters, sir, they had, ahem, a problem with the barrier, sir…” One of the soldiers replied, “It’s complete chaos. We can however confirm she was not with her original party. They’ve already left, and we didn’t see either of them with them at the time...”

Cumore planted his face into his desk. Idiots, the lot of them. He gripped the blastia tight in his hand, raising it back to his mouth. “Alright... I’m giving you fools one chance to prove that you’re not a complete waste of space.

Bring me something I can use or I’ll have all of you shipped off to Hypionia! Do I make myself clear?!”

“Yes sir!” the soldier exclaimed as the blastia’s connection was severed. He lowered his hand and let out a sigh.

“The Commander is not happy...” he said to his fellow soldier. The two of them were holed up in a warehouse used by Fortune’s Market, the sounds of battle still raging outside as the men of the Guilds fought to protect their town from the invading monsters.

“You didn’t tell him about...” the other soldier began to say.

“We do not want to end up more dead,” He offered, “Let’s just stay hiding in here until people stop fighting, then slip out all quiet like. If we ditch this armour, no one would ever suspect we were Imperial Knights.”

“Desertion?” The other soldier offered.

The first knight looked outside. It was still untenable. It was likely the Guilds would evacuate by morning...

“With as many monsters as there are out there?” he said with a sigh, “We’re damned whatever happens...”

“OK, If the monsters stop for a few minutes, we run back to Heliord, and report Dahngrest is overrun…” His friend offered, “Either way, the barracks look mighty comfy compared to this hellhole…”

“You’re not wrong there.” he said, “Now come on, I think I saw a crate of clothing in the corner over there. You can pick first,”

The fighting did in fact die down overnight with the return of the barrier blastia, for long enough to evacuate, orchestrated thanks to the timely interference of the Flynn Brigade. However no one paid any attention to the two Guildsmen who slipped out of the city...


End file.
